English
Italiano
Maverick Viñales being relegated from 2nd to 14th place in the Qatar GP at the Lusail International Circuit will be on the minds of the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team members for some time. But the 68-year-old French eam owner, Hervé Poncharal, has already overcome countless setbacks in his 40-year career, and he's now hoping for a continuation of the upward trend during the European season with the upcoming races in Jerez and Le Mans.
Although Poncharal's team lost 20 precious points, since Viñales' front tire was under inflated, he isn't critical of the existing regulations. "Any other tire manufacturer would also stipulate a certain limit for safety reasons. Remember that, when there was no tire pressure limit in the Moto2, some teams dangerously reduced the pressure. This led to risky situations. When there are no regulations, some teams want to gain an advantage, which puts safety at risk."
In the 2018 Moto2 World Championship, Fabio Quartararo lost the victory in Motegi (Japan) because the rear Dunlop tire of his bike was under inflated by 0.05 bar after the finish. And, in 2016 - which was Michelin’s first year as a supplier of the MotoGP standard tires - the French company also experienced two scary moments: Loris Baz's front tire exploded under full throttle on the main straight during the Sepang winter test and, shortly afterwards, Scott Redding's rear tire came apart in Argentina. At the time, Michelin suspected that the teams had disregarded the tire pressure recommendations.
Poncharal: "Nobody has anything against the current tire pressure regulations because, without them, disaster and serious injuries could occur. At the same time, one can question how good or bad the narrow window granted to the teams and riders is. Does this rigorous regulation ruin the show? You asked me that question a few weeks ago ... And it's a valid one. Dorna officials were happy to see a different brand on the podium for a change. That was positive for the championship, not just for the Red Bull KTM project. And, like I, said, Maverick didn't gain any advantage by using a low tire pressure, exactly zero. Absolutely zero!"
Speaking of which, the strict penalties for under-inflated tires were introduced during the 2023 Catalunya GP, and the first offender was a certain Maverick Viñales. But he had gotten away with just a warning. Back then, a second incident would have resulted in a 3-second penalty, a third offense would have resulted in a 6-second penalty and, after the fourth, 12 seconds would have been added to the race time.
But there are also several positive aspects the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team gained from the overseas tour, despite the low points. Viñales recently made it twice into the Q2, securing a strong 6th place on the grid in Doha and leading by five laps. Without the 16-second penalty, Viñales would have secured the Tech3 team's first MotoGP podium finish since Pedro Acosta on October 27th, 2024 in Buriram, Thailand. Also, with those 20 points, Viñales would have moved up to 10th place in the World Championship (as the best KTM rider), and Tech3 would have been 4th in the Teams World Championship.
But Hervé Poncharal is doing everything he can to revive the morale of his ambitious team for the upcoming challenges. "I can only call our team members heroes. What this group has achieved after the difficult winter tests and the arduous first two Grand Prixs, and how strongly we supported Maverick, who never let his head drop, deserves recognition. And then, on Sunday, Maverick delivered a masterful race. The spectators can't even imagine how difficult a setback like this penalty is to cope with. All team members are working harder for this project than can be imagined. The MotoGP World Championship is our life, twenty-four, seven. This riding masterpiece by Maverick Viñales on Sunday compensated us for many sacrifices."
At the Qatar GP, there was a discussion about why Viñales was, by far, the fastest KTM rider from the start. Team principal Hervé Poncharal noted that the Spanish rider, along with his crew chief, Manu Cazeaux, has put together the most powerful package for the Lusail Circuit. "All four KTM riders had the same conditions. Each has access to all the different components," Poncharal emphasized. "Each can choose and decide what suits them best. Some riders didn't choose the same RC16 version that Maverick opted for. I did some research with my team manager, Nico Goyon, and found that KTM used different solutions, at the request of the riders. For example, you could see that Bastianini didn't use the wing on the rear seat. And Viñales no longer uses the rear mass damper that Enea uses. Each rider selects his preferred components with his crew chief. Everyone builds the bike they feel most comfortable on. All four riders have free rein in selecting the parts. Everyone can choose what they like best when it comes to aerodynamics, chassis, exhaust system, and so on. Bastianini was the first KTM rider to choose the new exhaust system in Argentina. In Qatar, Maverick had one bike equipped with this new exhaust system, the second with the tried-and-tested silencer. In the race, he used the shorter exhaust. The difference is primarily in the weight, but there's also a small difference in peak power."
Anyone who saw the Dorna video from the cool down room before the awards ceremony heard Marc Márquez and Pecco Bagnaia say to Viñales in amazement: "Damn, your bike is sooo fast on the straights, Incredible! Your start was also excellent." Bagnaia marveled: "The turbulence is bad when you're riding behind a KTM." Marc asked his fellow countryman: "You can overtake better with this bike, right?"Maverick Viñales didn't contradict him. "The KTM is twice as fast," he grinned. "It's also very stable when braking."
"I was amazed to hear these words of praise from Marc and Pecco, as they're the two most successful riders in the field. They ride the best bikes, yet, they still spoke very positively about the KTM," Poncharal noted in an interview with GPone.com. "They were also amazed at how early Maverick was able to open the throttle at full lean. But what surprised them most was our engine. I think KTM has the most powerful engine at the moment. Our launch control also works great. It's done so for two years, actually. And the fact that the KTM RC16 creates strong turbulence also has advantages because it disrupts the riders behind you. It was certainly interesting to hear what Marc and Pecco said on TV on Sunday."
